Back to School

While many Americans spend this tax-free weekend stocking up on school supplies and new clothes, I will be mourning the passing of the summer of '09. Not once did I wear a swimsuit! What is summer without a swimsuit? What ever happened to my float trip down the Guadalupe River that I planned in June? I suppose since it's still 100 degrees outside in H'town, there could be time for a quick dip. But schools are in session; summer is officially over.

Although most of Houston will begin this Monday, many private schools started this past week. My cousin's kids, who live in Phoenix, actually started school August 10! As house-hunting and school choice often go hand in hand, I thought it would be an appropriate time to blog about schools in Houston. So, below is a round-up of resources that I find useful for buyers to use in their home search.

If you've found a house located within the Houston Independent School District (HISD), click here for a tool that will show you what schools are associated with that particular address. HISD also offers some flexibility through School Choice Options, including Magnet, Montessori and technical alternatives.

Are you looking in the Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD)? The house you've fallen in love with might be in Hunters Creek Village, but it is not necessarily zoned to Hunters Creek Elementary. To be sure, click here to enter the address of the house and find the corresponding schools.

Below is the feeder pattern for Memorial High School. You can find other feeder patterns for SBISD here.
Many families struggle with the public versus private school debate. The Buzz, a local magazine that is distributed to Bellaire, West U, Memorial and Tanglewood, did an informative article on it in their current issue. A good resource for private schools is Houston Area Independent Schools (HAIS), which currently has 68 member schools. For Montessori schools in Houston, click here. If you decide to go the private school route, read D Magazine's How to Pick a Private School for some good tips.

While these are all good resources, if school is important to your home-buying decision, be sure to independently verify what school your potential new home is zoned to by contacting the school district directly.

If you have other good sources for information on our schools, I'd appreciate your comments to this post. Here's to all A+'s in '09-'10!